


Lightning

by EnterpriseCaptain



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-09
Updated: 2014-08-09
Packaged: 2018-02-12 10:01:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2105514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnterpriseCaptain/pseuds/EnterpriseCaptain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin is scared of lightning. Just go with it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lightning

It was a very, very little known fact that Merlin was afraid of lightning.

 

So little known, in fact, that even Gaius didn’t know. The only one that did was Merlin’s mother.

 

It’s why he got so freaked out facing Nimueh ages ago. Because there was lightning. In fact, he probably wouldn’t have made it through that if Arthur and Gaius weren’t there.

 

He thought he’d handled that time pretty okay, but now that he was back at the castle and things were pretty calm for the moment, this opened up his opportunities to hiding in closets and such.

 

Not very dignified for a powerful warlock, but dignity didn’t seem to stop him from hiding during thunderstorms.

 

After three sleepless nights spent curled up in his closet, Merlin decided he needed to find a more permanent solution. Just in case something came up in the middle of a storm and he needed to be functional.

 

He tried stuffed animals.

 

They failed.

 

He tried food.

 

It failed.

 

He tried magic.

 

Unsurprisingly, it failed.

 

He no longer expected anything he tried to work. He had racked his brain for solutions, but every time it started storming, he still hid until morning.

 

Gaius still knew nothing. And as far as Merlin was concerned, he never would.

 

But while that was a small comfort, it didn’t change the fact that Merlin was still terrified of lightning storms.

 

For a few more weeks, he managed pretty well by hiding in his closet, but then there was one very, very bad storm.

 

Uther, of course, later blamed sorcery for the unusually intense thunderstorm, but Merlin didn’t care.

 

Merlin panicked.

 

He didn’t run to Gaius. While Gaius was great, and like a father to him, Gaius was sleeping in another building and he’d have to run across the courtyard to get there.

 

In a thunderstorm.

 

In the middle of the night.

 

Which was not happening.

 

So Merlin ran to the safest place Merlin knew: Arthur.

 

It was touch-and-go making it through the hallways, the guards were particularly alert due to the loud thunderclaps, but he eventually made it to the door outside Arthur’s room.

 

He hesitated. Then slipped inside.

 

Arthur was asleep, face down on his bed in the middle of the room.

 

For a good long while, Merlin considered backing out and returning to his room.

Then the loudest roar of thunder he had ever heard happened, accompanied by a blinding flash of lightning, and Merlin bolted and started shaking Arthur.

 

Arthur was awake in a second, if still a bit groggy. He focused on Merlin with a confused look, which disappeared quickly to be replaced by alarm when he saw how panicked Merlin looked.

 

“Merlin?”  


“Arthur!”

 

Merlin’s near-hysterical tone triggered something in Arthur and the next thing he knew he was hugging him.

 

Merlin was shaking, but was breathing okay. He started talking, fast, all in a rush.

 

“I’m really sorry to bother you but it’s storming and I’m kind of afraid of thunder and it’s stupid and it’s the middle of the night and I couldn’t handle it and I got really scared and came in here and I’m sorry I don’t want to be alone this thunder’s really loud –“

 

He was interrupted by another roll of thunder and buried his face in Arthur’s shoulder.

 

His voice was muffled.

 

“Can I just… stay here?”

 

There was surprised silence on Arthur’s end for a second, before he released Merlin and flung the covers off of his bed. Merlin thought he was getting kicked out, but apparently Arthur had a different idea.

 

He didn’t get up, just scooched over and gestured to the open space next to him.

 

Merlin paused, but then lightning flared again, and he quickly crawled into the covers, burying his face in Arthur’s shirt and curling up. Arthur wrapped his arms around Merlin, and Merlin slowly started to calm down.

 

A few minutes later, Merlin was calm enough to consider going back to his room, but once he lifted his head he discovered that Arthur had fallen asleep, and was still holding Merlin.

 

Besides, the blankets were really warm with the two of them there, and Merlin was really tired because of waking up in the middle of the night.

 

So he stayed.

 

And Arthur stayed.

 

And the same thing happened the next storm, with Merlin panicking at the lightning and running to Arthur, who just curled up with him and calmed him down.

 

And the next storm.

 

And the one after that.

 

And Arthur never told anyone.

 

It was an unspoken agreement that from that point on, when it stormed, Merlin came and stayed in Arthur’s room.

 

It worked out.


End file.
